#and always went back to the elves lol

[klyukvav]

Someone reminded me of how much I really miss dragon age and my Adaar here now

[meanbossart]

Ask Compilation: Gorp, Questionable Child Rearing, Progressive elves and some campaign lore!

As always, I apologize if your ask isn't here/ hasn't been replied to, it is unfortunately impossible for me to answer to every question I get to the extend I would like to. Occasionally I also just don't have a very interesting answer to offer 😅 and I try to avoid spamming people's feeds! But thank you so much to everyone who interacts with my stories, characters, art, and is curious about my thought process and writing! The response is frankly just as overwhelming as it is deeply appreciated, and every word of encouragement or message about how I inspired you to draw or write more of your own stories makes my day.

DU drow and Gortash had what I would describe as a "Toxic Friendship". They got along well enough, had little friend dinner-dates, drank together, superficially shared their woes in ways that benefited no one, and DU drow ultimately had a great deal of respect for Gortash - except you would have never known that by the way he treated him.

DU drow belittled, harassed, and even destroyed Gortash's property on whim alone. Every compliment was back-handed and every display of friendship was somehow sarcastic. Gortash let everything slide right off his back for reasons I like leaving obscured. Here's a particularly intense write-up I did about their relationship a long time ago that still stands. I think it serves really well to illustrate how intense DU drow could still be about his friendships.

PFFTT, I don't know why that would be a female-child only thing, but maybe that's just a colloquialism?

DU drow actually talks pretty similarly to children as he does to adults! He just doesn't set the same expectations on them. Children don't ask stupid questions because the world is still new to them, nor do their respond reasonably to everything, they also don't understand some big words or complex ideas depending on how you present it to them - he understands this and adjusts accordingly. But otherwise his tone would be the same, even with his his own child. He's that guy who's good with kids on the basis of treating them as to-be adults rather than.. Well, just a child.

The Astarion assessment is fair, LOL.

[MORE UNDER THE CUT]

(Surface) elven kind strikes me as fairly gender-indifferent overall! And while I enjoy theorizing about how their culture has shifted over the years from exposure to "urban life", for both better and worse, I like to think this is an aspect that has remained mostly unchanged, even for elves who may have had a really mixed-up upbringing from living in a city as diverse as Baldur's Gate.

I believe Astarion (and by extension Shadowheart and DU drow) are fully aware that they read as their respective genders and that for other races, such as humans, that means something; but for them that is a different custom that doesn't really apply outside of pronouns and reproductive expectations. So, I actually believe that Astarion would be pretty indifferent to life as a woman save for occasionally missing having a dick for the obvious reasons (only to then shift back and lament the opposite, probably).

ALL THE TIME!

But I know that you meant to ask if I will ever draw it.

VERY LIKELY THAT I WILL.

As a side note, thank you for showing interest and excitement for male-on-male sex that isn't just anal, LOL.

CW for the obvious, though nothing too descriptive or awful.

I understand if people disagree as a knee-jerk reaction, but I would say that Astarion's character demonstrates a shocking amount of self-control and emotional regulation. I went into this more in detail in an older post, but basically: the guy always brings himself down from his own outbursts, is exceptionally good at reading the room, is extremely forgiving and pragmatic, and knows when to send the jokes outside and respond to vulnerability in kind. I stand by this as more than a headcanon; it's in his actual writing and dialogue.

All that to say, I don't think Astarion would ever lay a violent hand on his own children. I also don't HC him as having endured corporal punishment as a child, hence not really having that instilled in his mind as a possible example to draw from.

I could see DU drow implementing physical punishments that he doesn't consider to be actually painful, like pulling, pinching, or squeezing a child while you reprehend them; things a parent might do because they think it's harmless. Astarion would probably be the one to say he's not really achieving anything - so it would likely be short-lived.

I DO think they would both be okay with setting up their children to pretty arduous physical labor, though, both as punishment and just in general to toughen them up. You could argue there's a way to do this that is reasonable, but they would prooobably push that line into dubious territory.

Buddy, WHO said low fat, what do you think the meat and taters that he's eating is swimming in!

But back to your question, he can enjoy a sweet treat every once in a while! He just far, far prefers savory. Personally, I think the guy would go crazy for a panettone. Or a big sugar-powdered crepe with some berries.

I kind of flew through the Circus in DU drow's playthrough because I was SO excited to get to Baldur's gate. They were only there long enough for DU drow to make Astarion mildly pissed off during the dryad's weird love quiz.

I also somehow missed Lucretious and never got the Dribbles quest - probably for the best.

Becoming a big ol' squid seems like a deal-breaker for his character in-game - so, same thing applies here. He'd let him down gently but potentially want a friendship for as long as DU drow is still himself.

... Buuuut it would never come to that; DU drow would most likely end his life pretty swiftly if he were to turn into a mindflayer, so Astarion wouldn't have much to worry about 😬

Alas, she pretty much never crosses his mind since he has no recollection of the type of relationship they had prior to DU drow's amnesia.

Or at least she won't as long as nothing weird ever happens that potentially jogs his memory 😇

Hello! I also love the escorts, but due to both DU Drow's and Astarion's respective attitudes towards drow and that kind of activity they didn't really hire his services. I do like to think him and his sister had a lot to gossip about as soon as they turned their backs, though, LOL.

[chromunist]

I actually cannot imagine how solas fans and especially solavellans ACTUALLY think that solas tearing down the veil and getting what "he wants" is the best move for his character.

Like WHAT?! Have we played the same games? The entire point is literally that that is NOT what he actually wants, it is something he feels compelled to do because he is chained by his identity as the savior of the Elves and all the thousands of years of fighting in vain. This is his Dinanshiral (he said so himself); not a good thing actually, the path of death. He hates himself for not being strong enough to stop, he WANTS to be stopped. The inquisitor literally says this in the game, it is not subtext. He wants to be solas, defined by wisdom, who offers guidance and assists people, he does not want to be taking direct action, it is against his nature. Solas is sad, tearing down the veil is the mission that is fueling that, it will not fix him LOL.

Also it apparently needs to be pointed out that he is always referring to this as a "restoration" so sorry but no, tearing down the veil is not a metaphor for radical social reform, it is representative of a resistance to change itself. Resistance to the acceptance of the changing flow and imperfections of yourself, your life, and your identity. How dangerous it is to tie your identity to your performance. Solas wants to create an unchanging utopia and he is unable to accept the ever fluid and imperfect mortal thedas. He is not the rebel-who-went-too-far archetype sorry. He has become corrupt. Is his end goal nice and worth the mortal deaths? Arguably yes, but does that mean he should do it, that he actually wants to ? That it is the right place for his story to end. NO. Why? Because thats not who he is. Fen harel is not who he is, you must bring him back to solas. He wants to stop and offer wisdom, not fight a war and cause thousands to die. He is tired, he is broken. He desperately clings to his cause because he wrongly thinks he will be able to forgive himself if he makes it all mean something. But it wont; the whole point of the game is that it wont. Nothing will make him forgive himself, will take away the guilt. He has to learn to accept that he cannot be the perfect savior, that he is a person, that he is allowed to accept the forgiveness and love from the people who care about him (how rook escapes the prison where he could not; how he does not end up in the prison in atonement). He would never learn his lesson and never have peace if he tore down the veil. He would die alone, hated and sad; his worst fear.

There is something so so beautiful about a god who made the world by mistake, who in desperation and agony over a broken, unfair world coming from his actions, desperately tried to erase that mistake even if it meant its destruction. Coming to terms with his failures, and accepting the imperfect, changed, world he wrought and dedicating his immortal life to its protection. Stepping down from his place of responsibility (which he never truly wanted) over the state of existence and allowing mortals a chance to change and improve the world themselves.

[jamieedlund]

Thesis wip Legends and fairytales

and June's sketchdump! 🤗

lots of young Aaravos stuffs on my mind amongst other things and one of the brainrot I find fun is instead of being afraid or embracing his ""darkness"" the first time he used dark magic, baby Aaravos just...intimidated it into submission. Because I guess dark magic has a different affect on gods I mean startouched elves??? I also think what makes a person insanely strong is not the fact that they give in to their darkness (like all dark mages) or completely reject their own selfishness and view the world as only black and white (the philosophy the show trying to pedal, which I extremelyyy despise) but someone who acknowledged that they have their inner demons; is willing to face them and accept that it is part of them without giving into its every whims. Which they won't do for Aaravos ever I'm sure but isn't that a neat fun thing to think about. Like man rolled a nat 20 on intimidation and proceeded to devoured his own darkness like hah you're part of me now lol I'm a god.

Aaravos reading his TOS, which I stole from that one bit from brennan's genie rules (make some noise episode 4) I wish I had time to draw this as an animation-

Devastation is when the both of them hit you with the 'we're finishing each other sentences because the answer was so painfully obvious' bit. I just thought it would give everyone chills if animated.

things I constantly think about part 103927 and wish was being said in ss4 if they had just let Callum actually squared up and went after Soren so he can have an epic mage duel with Claudia and Terri in which he actually managed to outwitted all of them and got Soren back.

More brainrot about the adventures they could have had together, this one in particular in which they're going into a king's harem to investigate the death of the women there. It's inspire by the plot for the latest mononoke anime about the "Ooku" - aka it's just a - place where women are gathered to breed with the shogun...the real history of it is- very fascinating and cruel. In the blank dialogue pages I couldn't find the right word to express Callum's worries. Basically he already knew humanity can be ugly, he grew up with that ugliness for most of his life and he's worried that he won't like what he finds here. I think it's a perfect plotline to explore both of their characters on so many personal levels.

aand that's all I got! I've been participating in a fundraising event called Artists for Gaza this month so I barely have a lot of brainrot sketches that looks decent enough to post. I'll leave a link to their carrd below if you're interested in checking them out. I wanted to do my part to help Palestine despite dying on my thesis and trust me I am dying-

As always, thank you so much for sharing and supporting my work. I will get to all of my asks when my thesis is over. Check out Artists for Gaza >>here<<

[thefadecodex]

Hi! I came across a post a while back about Mythals spirit. Basically they said they didn't agree with the idea of Mythal being a spirit of "Benevolence" and they said It made more sense that she was a spirit of "Protection".

I thought about it and based on past Dragon Age lore she was called the All Mother and the Protector. People went to her seeking Protection Justice Vengeance. And everything she did throughout the Dragon Age games did fit with someone who embodied "Protection". Helping our heroes save the world. And even when she ruled as an Evanuris the terrible things she did was to protect her People.

And When I think of "Benevolence" as a concept I see it as Compassion Empathy Kindness Generosity. Like I can't really see a spirit of Benevolence making the Titans tranquil?

The Mythal fragment that was the most like her original self called the titans monsters and I do not think she (and honestly most of the Elvhen back then) had the compassion/empathy to even see the dwarves as people. They just took what they wanted to benefit themselves and their empire and it led to war. So it doesn't feel benevolent, I guess.

Anyway, I'm definitely inclined to agree with that person's post... but Im also not pleased with how this revelation conflicts with canon (Hate when that happens LOL) it's kinda like I wanna reconcile the two together?

Basically, Morrigan calls Mythals spirit "Benevolence" but do you think "Protection" suits her better? Or is it something else ? whatever your thoughts are on the kind of spirit Mythal is id like to hear it!!

(Sorry for rambling! Love your work ❤️)

Greetings, seeker of veiled truths!

First, thank you so much for your kind words, and don’t worry—you weren’t rambling at all! This is such an intriguing question, so let’s unpack it together.

When Morrigan refers to Mythal as a Spirit of Benevolence, it’s crucial to remember how DA defines spirits. A spirit embodies a concept, but that concept isn’t a neatly human-friendly archetype—it’s a primal force, distilled and absolute.

In this context, Benevolence isn’t limited to kindness, compassion, or warm nurturing. It’s an overarching, self-sacrificial commitment to the well-being of others—specifically, in Mythal’s case, her people–the elves. This form of Benevolence operates on a grand, often cosmic scale, and its methods may not always appear kind or gentle from a mortal perspective.

Benevolence Doesn’t Always Look Kind

The tension arises because we often view Benevolence through a mortal lens—a figure endlessly warm, patient, and selfless. But spirits aren’t bound by mortal morality or sentimentality. Their concepts manifest in ways that can feel cold, ruthless, or even cruel.

Mythal’s actions—calling the Titans monsters, exploiting the dwarves, and even her acts of justice or vengeance—weren’t born from softness. It is likely Mythal saw her actions as pragmatic choices made to ensure her people’s survival and prosperity. In her view, these decisions likely aligned with her deeper purpose, even if they were morally fraught.

To Mythal, the Titans were dangerous. Regardless of why/how the conflict began, they were at war. Mythal wasn’t observing the Titans as neutral entities—she was facing them as an active threat to her people and her purpose.

In war, perspective shapes action. To Mythal, the Titans weren’t just colossal beings—they were adversaries, capable of immense destruction. Whether her judgment of them as “monsters” was fair or justified is debatable, but in her eyes, it was likely a necessary stance to protect her people and their survival.

Protection as a Reflection of Benevolence

Protection is, in many ways, an expression of Mythal’s Benevolence. Sometimes that protection was fierce, even brutal. Sometimes it looked more like justice or even vengeance more than kindness. But at its core, the why of her actions—the driving force—was still rooted in Benevolence: the preservation and flourishing of those she cared for.

To draw a parallel: a mother wolf protecting her cubs isn’t gentle when her fangs are bared. She doesn’t negotiate with the predator threatening her young. But the reason she fights—the fire behind her fury—is love and care. That is Benevolence, expressed through the raw and unyielding instinct to protect.

In short: Protection is a tool. Benevolence is the purpose.

Morrigan recognizing Mythal as Benevolence is likely because she sees the root of Mythal’s nature. Beneath all the violence, cruelty, and compromises, Mythal’s purpose was always to care for, nurture, and preserve her people.

This isn’t a soft or idyllic Benevolence—it’s one that wages war to keep loved ones safe, that makes impossible choices in the face of extinction. It’s sharp-edged and relentless.

At her core, Mythal embodies Benevolence—not the comforting warmth of gentle compassion, but the unyielding drive to ensure others thrive, even when the means are harsh, messy, or morally complex.

It’s entirely valid to see protection as an integral expression of her Benevolence, but I think Morrigan’s insight holds: Benevolence was the root, and protection was the tool she wielded in its service.

Thank you for bringing such a thoughtful question to The Fade Codex—it’s one of those topics that reminds us just how layered and complex spirits truly are.

May your path through the Fade remain well-lit!—The Fade Codex

[slayerdurge]

The Day After the Raid aka How Shadowheart Became an Alcoholic

note: i've been writing random dribbles for my dark urge character (a very "embrace the urge" evil little critter who nonetheless is more controlled and calculating than you'd think she should be and who ironically actually ends up resisting bhaal so she can take the netherbrain for herself and, in my headcanon for her, ends up making a deal with bane and sends out the armies of baldur's gate to conquer other worlds in his name in exchange for becoming bane's chosen and getting gortash's soul back) and i've hit on the idea that writing from the perspective of her companions instead of her actually works really well because i can show how she affects them more potently (she really likes the idea of "corrupting" others) so i've been toying with the idea of a fic that alternates perspectives from the different companions but idk if that's something anyone would really want to read and also i have literally 10 other things in my wip pile lol

anyway here have a shadowheart chapter

---

Shadowheart woke at the break of dawn. 

It was the noise that woke her, as the goblins clattered and crashed carelessly throughout the camp, preparing for an early march to Moonrise Towers. She groaned softly and rolled over, covering her eyes with her left arm to block out the light. Her head was pounding viciously, and there was a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that had started the moment she regained consciousness and had been growing larger by the second since then. 

She briefly considered casting a healing spell on herself but decided it would be a waste of her magic. The gifts that Lady Shar granted her weren’t unlimited. Anyway, she thought bitterly, as one of the little goblin fuckers stepped over her still-lying form and narrowly avoided crushing the ever-open wound on her right hand… she kind of deserved this. 

She’d had far, far too much to drink last night. They’d raided the good wine from the still-burning Grove—the sweet, deep red kind that went down your throat easily and straight to your head. The goblins had been just as rowdy by moonlight—no, even rowdier. They’d had a victory to celebrate, after all. Such a hard-won victory, surely, against such formidable poverty-stricken desperate refugees. Why shouldn’t they go all out to mark the occasion?

So she’d sat silently by the campfire drinking glass after glass, while goblins rampaged loudly around her and Minthara spoke fervently of former and future conquests with their de facto leader—the enigmatic woman she’d met on the nautiloid, who claimed her name was “The Dark Urge” and refused to go by any other. Only it’d proven such a mouthful for everyone that they’d all started just calling her “Durge”. She’d assented to the shortened version. 

As the last of the goblins straggled out of the camp, Shadowheart sat up gingerly and rested her back against a heavy crate. In the near distance, she could see that Lae’zel was awake, striking quick jabs at a makeshift training dummy she’d set up for herself. Astarion was still trancing, which was odd considering elves really only needed about half as much rest as most other races. Perhaps he felt he needed his beauty sleep, she thought ironically. Besides the three of them, the only other figure in the camp was Withers, who stood motionless by the water as he always did, speaking only when spoken to. Durge was nowhere to be seen. Shadowheart assumed she’d decided to escort Minthara and her horde out of the camp. 

Another stab of pain ran through her head, sending her hand rushing back to cover her face. She decided she’d allow herself just five more seconds to rest, then, once the count was up, she stood. No one in the camp acknowledged her. She made her way over to one of the tables they’d used for last night’s feast, still sprawled with half-eaten roasts of pork, rothé, dwarf, and tiefling meat. The smell sent a fresh wave of nausea through her stomach, so she grabbed an empty goblet and poured herself some leftover wine. Hair of the dog and all that. 

Durge returned not long after. Shadowheart watched her speaking animatedly with Lae’zel and noted the potent change in her demeanor. Durge always seemed different after a kill. She’d noticed that about her on their first day of traveling together. Her eyes shone a little brighter, her skin smelled a little fresher, and the gleeful smiles she was prone to anyway came to her mouth a little quicker. Ever since they’d raided the Grove, though, her constant joyful buzz had been interminable. Shadowheart anticipated another wave of nausea coming on and drowned it with wine before it had a chance to really begin. 

Durge finished speaking with Lae’zel, who immediately returned to her training regiment, then turned to meet Shadowheart’s gaze, smiling at her brightly. Shadowheart shot her a quick wave, then groaned internally when Durge began to make her way over to the table. 

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked cheerfully, pouring out another glass of wine for herself. 

Shadowheart shrugged, curving her lips into an indifferent half-smile. “Do what you wish.”

Durge downed the first glass, then immediately poured herself another. She grabbed an unused plate and began piling it high with leftovers, seemingly unconcerned about what type of meat she wound up with. She picked up an already half-eaten chunk with her bare hands and took a large bite out of it, then sat there chewing for a moment, a thoughtful and content expression alighting her face.

“Minthara’s rather interesting, don’t you think?” Durge asked in between mouthfuls of meat. Shadowheart was grateful that Durge at least knew not to talk with her mouth full.

She scoffed. “I found her rather arrogant and boorish.”

Durge smiled again. “More importantly, she’s blissfully unaware of her status as someone’s pawn.”

Shadowheart forced down another large gulp of wine. “If that’s the case,” she said, not bothering to disguise the bitter edge to her voice, “then doesn’t that make us pawns too? For going along with her.”

Durge laughed. “Of course not,” she declared confidently. “We’re playing the long game.” 

Shadowheart watched silently as Durge dug into her meat again. Then she turned her head to the side and focused on her wine. There was a hidden implication to Durge’s confidence that Shadowheart resented. She might be playing the long game, but it often felt like the rest of them were just along for the ride. Lately, she’d started wondering if she shouldn’t just leave. 

Wyll had left. He’d accosted Durge as soon as their party got back last night, and she’d heard faint traces of their argument from across the campsite. If you could call it an argument. Neither of them had actually raised their voice at any point. But somehow that had only made it seem all the more grave. 

He’d already had doubts about her leadership, she knew. He’d confided in her once. He said he’d noticed that Durge always tried to get the final blow whenever an enemy was close to death, but that she hadn’t done that when they’d fought Karlach. She’d held off, waited for him to deal the killing strike. He said that he thought maybe she’d done that out of respect, to make sure he was able to fulfill the conditions of his pact or to give him the personal chance to avenge Karlach’s victims, but he wasn’t sure and he wanted to know what Shadowheart thought about it. 

Shadowheart had said that she didn’t know, though she had some guesses herself, and they traveled along a very different direction. But she’d certainly known about Durge’s plans for the Grove. She’d agreed, along with Astarion and Lae’zel, not to tell Wyll because he would try to stop them even if he had to fight them himself. She knew it would have come to a fight last night too, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Wyll was surrounded by enemies on all sides. He was brave, but he wasn’t suicidal, and the people he wanted to protect were already dead. Hopefully he was smart enough never to come back seeking vengeance.   

But Shadowheart would stay. She was aware even now of the potent artifact in her pouch; she was never not aware of it. Nothing mattered as much as getting it back to her coven. There was no denying that Durge was exceptionally effective. As long as she truly believed that following Durge was her most direct path to Baldur’s Gate, she couldn’t leave. If she tried to, the pain in her wound would probably bring her back. As it should. It was foolish to spurn success. 

Shadowheart’s attention was drawn back to Durge, who’d finished her meal and tossed her empty plate aside. For the last few minutes, she’d been picking something out of her teeth with one of her fingernails, but now she turned suddenly toward Shadowheart. “I wish I could figure out how they did it,” she said, her words tinged with slight frustration. 

“Who?” Shadowheart asked, confused by the unexpected comment.

“Whoever’s really behind the Absolute,” Durge explained, eyes bright with enthusiasm. “Their cult is masterfully organized. I mean, at its core, it’s a common setup. You give the best of your slaves power over the others. Almost all tyrants do that because it makes sense. It keeps the weak ones in line and provides the ones you put in leadership positions with the illusion of an improvement in circumstances. Nothing atypical about it. Vlaakith wields that tactic effectively, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.” 

As she said the last part, Durge leaned towards Shadowheart and lowered her voice, casting a surreptitious glance in Lae’zel’s direction. Durge was right, of course. She had noticed. But the intimacy of the moment rang hollow when she considered how much of her grudging respect Lae’zel bestowed upon Durge. She was willing to bet her life that Durge was telling her a very different story when Shadowheart wasn’t listening.  

Durge, seemingly completely unconcerned with Shadowheart’s lack of a reaction, went on. “The problem everyone keeps running into is once you’ve given them some degree of power, if they’re worth a damn, they’re going to want more. There’s two main methods of mitigating that problem.” She paused, looking pointedly at Shadowheart. “You know what they are, I assume?”

“Of course,” Shadowheart responded instantly. “The first method is force. You keep them in line with the threat of harm, either physical or psychological, by being more powerful than they are.”

“You don’t really need to be more powerful than they are,” Durge corrected. “You just need them to believe you are.”

“Obviously,” Shadowheart snapped, annoyed at the interruption. “But I was counting that among the second method.”

“Fair enough,” Durge conceded with a slight conciliatory wave of her hand. “I apologize. Please go on.”

“The second method is indoctrination. You convince them to subjugate themselves by teaching them to believe that their subjugation is right and proper.”

“Quite right you are, Shadowheart,” Durge nodded at her approvingly. “Lady Shar has taught you well.”

“Yes, she has,” Shadowheart said, unable to keep the defensiveness from creeping into her voice.

“She certainly has,” Durge repeated. Her eyes drifted off Shadowheart and fixated onto the red wine in her nearly overflowing goblet as if she saw something marvelous there. “Anyway, both methods have their drawbacks. The threat of force needs to be backed up with something concrete or you need to create such intense fear that no proof is ever requested. Possible, but unlikely to last indefinitely. The problem with indoctrination, on the other hand, is that a prisoner who serves as their own jailer can always simply choose to open the cell.” Her eyes shifted to Shadowheart’s face again and she smiled. “Many don’t, but there’s never a guarantee.”

Shadowheart watched her silently, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Durge suddenly downed the second glass of wine. A little red liquid dripped slightly from one corner of her mouth, and she wiped it away with the sleeve of her robe. “The tadpole falls into the former category. Mind control. Brute force, pure and effective. Mind flayer power somehow wielded by someone who is most probably not a mind flayer themself. But not flawless, either.” Her brow furrowed. “If it was, our mysterious Guardian wouldn’t be able to grant us the power to resist it.” 

“That sounds like something we should be grateful for,” Shadowheart remarked coldly.

“Oh, we should,” Durge replied, shifting forward and back in her seat in a manner that reminded Shadowheart uncannily of a restless child. Then she stopped her rocking as abruptly as she’d started it. “But it all depends on where you’re standing.” She smiled once more at Shadowheart, wider than before. “Regardless, I do hope I get to meet whoever came up with the whole scheme. I’d love to shake their hand before I plunge my knife into their back.”

[dearest-and-nearest]

I'm writing veilguard fix-it fic (basically make everyone an asshole bigot and every single good ending turns out to be shit, lol) and here's my worldstate for it. There's long post under cut + very unpopular choices and views on them, so you've been warned

Levia and Aretha are ghost chars existing only in memories of chars who loved them (Alistair and Anders), Taren still lives. In dai he was an ambitious arrogant idiot, who wants nothing, but to be worshipped. He doesn't care about his clan and elves (so Bellara, who I rewrote to be mix of Velanna and Merril, hates him), he doesn't care about people, he doesn't care about anything but how he looks and how many people obey him. Good thing - he still has connections in politics. Bad thing - Solas can control him, so he can't really do anything (and he hates Solas since he dared to deny him). While he was an inquisitor, Taren often acted reckless and without second thought, not comparing facts, so he was sure Gaspard is a good option as emperor and wardens should leave the Orlais (and he was very outraged when they dared to return after Trepasser). Taren grew up a bit in terms of personality, but he is still very arrogant, selfish and stupid man, who always thinks about himself first, even when it would be better to think about others.

In fact, it's not a good place to live. The only place where situation becomes better (and very slowly and still through blood) is Orzammar. Other places? Well, mages, which situation became even worse through this 10 years, despise Aretha for being templar's whore as they call her, because it was her, who did a lot to show that circles are necessary. Elves, no matter dalishes or ctiy, call Taren traitor, and don't think of him as an elf, he's outsider, someone who traded his race for illusion of power.

Levia's death is forgotten despite all Alistair's efforts. He became his version from concepts to dao: bitter and sarcastic veteran, who knows that even ultimate sacrifice can be forgotten by world it saved. Zevran still mourns her: he became head of house Arannai, but his actions had consequences and now Crows are even more crueler to recruits. They need to break their will, so no one will dare to repeat what Zevran did.

Aretha isn't mourned much too. News about her death crushed what remained from Anders' mind, so he is full abomination now, can't differ himself from Vengeance anymore and wanders in Tevinter, killing and searching for way to bring her back. From the moment he went crazy completely, Anders started to call fuse of him and Vengeance Sacrifice, and even adresses himself as "we". He is also a ghoul, but his mind is such a mess, that despite hearing song, his goal remained "find Hawke", but he is just a shadow of himself now, obsessed with this one idea. He is a ghoul, just so crazy, that even Calling didn't affect him in the way it should. Fenris haunts him, wanting to kill him and give him peace this way, but can't catch him yet.

Meanwhile Carver married Merrill and they moved far away from Kirkwall. He left the templars at the same time his sister had to ran away from Kirkwall because of rebellion (she was a tyrant, when she was a viscount, so in history she remained as Viper (and it's very... kind nickname. People willingly call her much, much worse) and even if she'd survived, she couldn't became viscount again), and that was their last meet. Merrill broke her mirror and wants to help other elves, so she created her own clan from city elves and they all live in forests, travelling and trying to survive. She and Carver have a child together and they're rare pair, who got their happy ending here.

Isabela was given to Arishok, so she ran away and prefers to stay away from large conflicts. She became even more cynical, remains of her golden heart were shattered in the moment Aretha gave her to Arishok, so she trades slaves sometimes and doesn't really care who buys her skills and ship. At least she has this ship, it's already an achievement. She is also very hostile towards qunari, any of them. Through, she is pretty satisfied with her life and has her own happy end too.

In short, it's really dark place, because I'm pervert, I prefer bad endings more. +a lot of good people died, so yeah. And you can understand why I didn't like veilguard or dai, lol

[octoberautumnbox]

Lets playy another this or that Smut edition

Pick one

Hiatus because your phsyical health OR Hiatus because your mental health

Help a legend writer who just comeback by editing or Help a very first writer with proof reading

Put your knowledge into the story (ie your major or experiences) OR Research for your story

Your family irl know youre a smut writer OR your partner (bf/gf) know youre a smut writer

Trying something new for your story because commision (ie new kinks) OR reject the commision

Establish relationship (already a friend, already a couple) OR Stranger to lover/sex

Realism setting (Idol as idol, you as manager) OR Semi realism (idol as barista/other jobs) OR fantasical settings (idol as elves/magic cratures)

Write a story based a challenge from other writer OR based a good anon ask

Write on Google docs OR MS. Word

hi anon! i love these :gibheart:

a hiatus is a hiatus no matter what causes it, but i will say ive had more mental health hiatuses than physical :nise:

oh i love helping out new writers! granted only one has ever reached out (my fellow glassy @howslemon's debut fic is something i treasure for more than just my contribution to it :DDDD) but id love to see more writers trying their hand around here!

hmm thats a tough one. im not really much for researching though i do make it a point to be realistic if the fic calls for it (my recent fic here for reference (remind me to edit this with a link when it comes out)) but this one comes from my own intimate knowledge of the university i went to which was equally yet distinctly fun to write too

my partner knows! they beta'd belle :luvv: also my sister knows, she beta'd aiah sorta

i dont think ill do commissions for a good while, but trying things out has always been something i loved doing. idek if i can call it an experimental phase when the whole time ive been writing it was always to try and push my own limits in ways that made sense to me :DDDD

strangers to lovers and friends to lovers/already lovers are both very cool flavors to add to fics for different reasons, but the connection you make in the fic itself, whether looking back or forging anew is something that shows the writer's skill and something u should definitely look out for when reading our other very lovely writers :nise:

i think we pave our own way was one of the funnest fics for me, and the word count limit really forced me to get creative with how i set the world up. fantastical settings need a lot in the background to work, but for how 우린 길을 만들어 came out i love it even if im the only one :sitt:

the crux here is just to flesh out someone else's ideas with my own personal twist, and more often than not anons will have a more concrete or specific vision (not that i would know. i dont get requests anymore lol) than say the prompts our very lovely writers challenge each other with every once in a while. when we do prompts usually a lot of writers like def mint raf and i go and post them but theres really so many more that other writers keep in the master doc when it comes out! also thanks @woollypoison for hosting hdskfjghdsjkgh sorry we got weird this time around i think

never really tried writing with word. left gdocs a while ago for @ellipsus-writes but as it stands now it's a bit lackluster (small image sizes and lack of a mobile app are bogging it down for me ngl) and im trying out notion for a little bit. ultimately it doesnt matter how fancy your guitar is, just that it has enough for you to be comfortable playing it is good enough :DDDD

thanks for the cool ask anon!! see u arnd :asaerombeatbox:

[self-spaghettification]

ok so i accidentally deleted the draft but a while back an anon asked me basically saying they had read Gone (are the Days) and wanted other good fanfic recs. and this was my response LMAO

hmm !! this may surprise you but i actually don’t consume that much fanfic. partially because i’m picky, partially bc i tend to consume content slowly or bounce around a lot, etc

i will say a general tip is to sort by bookmarks or kudos to get the good stuff and filter by specific tags as well! like i just read mage pride which is the top bookmarked item in the viravos tag and it was definitely worth the hype!!

if you enjoyed gone are the days,

you’d probably like the Professor Next Door by detectiphoenix (also a professor au but high school teachers!) besides that, here are some viravos fanfic i’ve enjoyed, off the top of my head:

(for context i’m not hyper into smut personally or try to find variety/creativity and i’m biased towards certain things lol but)

VIRAVOS FICS I LOVED <3

Mage Pride by luminiex - This is the top bookmarked fic in the viravos tag, and for good reason! While it is written after S2 and has more sympathetic Aaravos than in canon, it is still very well done in my opinion. I also love whatever it takes by them, it’s great if you don’t like smut too! Aaravos and Viren living together in this plane together lives rent free in my head 😭 I also love their fic where Aaravos gets to meet Viren’s family :)

Recidivism by indefensibleselfindulgence/ @iamalivenow - the viren characterization is everything, it takes place in s2 prison era, and it’s very humorous!

The Sound of His Voice by portmanteau_press - very very cool setup/worldbuilding concept i think

Constellation of the Heart by @yurayuramiharin - This fic is one of my absolute favorites and has inspired some of the art I’ve done as well! As someone who loves vintage & goth subculture & IS a baby bat in college I feel like I resonate with it really well! I love the taking of the worldbuilding of the dragon prince recontextualized in a college setting and the way Aaravos was actually an inspiration for Bowie & caused Viren to question his sexuality!! It’s so deliciously perfect but sadly unfinished, but I would say it’s still definitely worth the read! It doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger either, just one of the best burns ever 😁

Touch of a Star by @detectiphoenix - really unique take on what it’s like to touch Aaravos, I adore it sm and think about it everyday too. Fluffy S5 extrapolation/continuation

To Serve or Slaughter by beastlybrooke - viravos recontextualized as vampires like castlevania my other recent fixation? sign me up. it’s interesting how viren’s prejudice towards elves is recast as a prejudice towards vampires, and aaravos’s fight towards the elves and view towards humans i love it everything

honorary mention ficlets:

the stars they lie by rikku - this is short but i really like the way they incorporate virrow and mindgames, as well as enby aaravos :)

Checkmate by @thrandilf is also short and sweet but i adore it, i think about the alternate versions of the s5 trailer sm and even tried writing my own a few times but they never went that far but yeah i love it and they have other fics that are great too

respect his decision by @vestaldestroyer because aaravos didn’t have to revive viren s4 but he did and ughgghhghh while i don’t think he cares that much cause he might have just been using the revival as a way in with claudia and continuation of all that, there’s always that off chance and he doesn’t even realize how attached he is and love is just that huge when you’re that old and powerful, large enough to move mountains and yeah </3

i’d put my own can you stay by @self-spaghettification but that’d seem a bit unfair lol

—

there’s probably others i’ve yet to read or that are cool but i don’t remember or that have some good parts but are kind of iffy imo but those are the only ones i can think of off the top of my head i’m sorry </3

but i’ve also have been compiling a list of fic ratings on a google doc and uhh its not really sharable in any way, but a while ago I also had a website concept where people could share fic ratings like goodreads but for ao3 with some other site inspo in the mix that i spent a few hours sketching out the concept of but idk if i should share but yeah :)

[jazzmckay]

davg day 6:

if anyone needs me i will be over here lying on the floor

i'd already collected all the wolf statuettes apparently so as soon as i got the last from the inky (!!!!!!) i was able to view all the regrets back to back to back to back....

so yes. the floor. im a fun mix of excited and overwhelmed and heartbroken. stunned to find a ton of my headcanons are now actual canon. how intense. poor solas, jfc, but also shiiiiiit the dagger and the titans, thats so damn rough. i understand why lace is as angry as she is. the dwarves absolutely got the worst deal ever here. they are, after all, the ones who have to deal with the darkspawn all the time, not just during a blight. i took so many screenshots during all this.... i loved that the whole team got together like a damn book club to discuss solas' worst memories omg... rip to solas he's been mega exposed. the mortifying ordeal of being known. but my rook is absolutely sympathetic. i'm constantly wishing i could go talk to him whenever i want :( solas :(((( (id REALLY like to write a missing scene where rook goes to talk to him after minrathous vs treviso because who the fuck else would understand the weight of dooming innocents on such a scale? part of her sympathy is because i, the player, am sympathetic, but i also think the harder being a leader gets, the more she understands the complexity of the choices he made)

the topic of curing the titans came up..... houghhh is it really possible? will it happen in this game? aAaAAA

and then im meeting someone in the crossroads with morrigan, who she called "she". am i about to meet mythal? in spirit form after solas took her power at the end of dai??? i realize i can get this answer as soon as i want lmao but theres soooo much i want to do at the same times always!!!!

TAASH. i need to know everything about you RIGHT NOW

during all these sequences, i found myself so intrigued by everything taash had to add. theyre actually... really fucking smart? brains AND brawn? my DUDE thats hot. i got this vibe from the "taash talks" stuff as well. there is so much to them beneath the Brutal Warrior vibe

also i got a giggle out of taash immediately being like "they were fucking" about solas and mythal, and i got approval for agreeing "oh they were definitely doing it" sdfgmf incredible

i did indeed get a continuation about taash's gender issues and i'm so in love.... it's actually really wonderful to see a character still figuring it out instead of already knowing. cathartic. the struggle of feeling "not normal" and having a different response to gender things than others. simply not having the frame of reference or the terminology, just knowing theres this Feeling. can't wait to see how it plays out

the way solas was responsible for this with the titans and then when he woke up in the current world with the veil, he felt like it HAPPENED AGAIN.... ACCIDENTALLY. TO HIS OWN PEOPLE im going to scream. the way its linked to tranquility. screaming and screaming and

honestly all of this was delicious in a ton of ways, including lace, bellara, and davrin just being present, leaning all this about the dwarves, the elves, and the blight. bellara and lace relating over the need to reevaluate so much of what they understood..... hhh and davrin probably now understands more about the blight than any other warden ever.

when bellara mentioned that solas might be able to possess someone to escape the fade my pupils went blown like an excited cat lol literally instantly "POSSES ME, SOLAS....."

yes yes we're supposed to be wary, we're expecting him to betray us of course of course but listen. rook and solas could be in one body fighting this together as a little treat. im just SAYING

so after this i did emmrichs personal mission in the necropolis gardens, which was fucking beautiful. i do actually find cemeteries really peaceful, personally. ive been to some old canadian ones and had a great time sitting in the grass between the headstones and writing in my journal. so i loved this very much. walked around quite a bit, not sprinting at all, just taking it in and doing the side quest there

also emmrich and bellara are team "upbeat and kind, reveal their traumatizing backstory, then go back to normal like that never came up!" omg they.... i wish there was a "hug companion" button

i went to the anderfels after but i was feeling a bit overstimulated with all the stuff i learned! but i will def play more later because i am dying to find out more

[a-lonely-dunedain]

1, 6, 9, 10 , 12 and 35 for any oc you’d like!! Mix and match if you want!

oh! I missed one! ok let's see...

1. are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

I try to color code of my OCs! There isn't any sort of symbolism behind them besides just Vibes™, but Ethedis is green, Tossdir is red, Margim is dark red, and Celeair is blue.

my less developed OCs don't have a suuuuper solidified colors yet tho, but currently I'm thinking that Ceriondil is red, Rodigrin is turquoise, and Elwar is a dark steel blue. I'm actually still not sure who the 4th member of their group will be besides the fact that they're a dwarf, so I don't have a color for them yet.

6. "how do they wear their hair? do they care a lot how their hair looks?"

hmmm I'll answer this for Ethedis bc she's one of my only characters who actually styles it lol. She keeps is pulled back pretty simply, but lets her bangs loose to just do whatever. She's not super concerned with keeping it looking neat all the time, but she likes to keep the long parts out of her way, and if it can look pretty at the same time then that's always a nice bonus! she also likes to accessorize with those little silver leaf decorations

also, I don't know where I saw this headcanon or how commonplace it is, but I've heard some people go with this idea that for elves braiding each other's hair is kind of like an intimate thing that couples do? Idk if I'll go with this angle, but at some point in the 4th age it might be cute to add a little braid somewhere in her hairstyle, bc she's started to let Corunir help style it <3 (another one of those little things that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is to her)

9. "favorite food? least favorite? are they a picky eater? do they have any dietary restrictions?"

hmmm I'll answer this one for Tossdir!

Tossdir really can't be a picky eater, he's a Ranger and sometimes just has to take whatever he can find, so he's developed a tolerance for basically anything that could be considered edible. and some not. I think he ate a stick once.

As for his favorite, he really liked carrot cake! But being the sentimental guy that he is, can't eat it anymore without thinking about Tadan and some measure of guilt, seeing as he partially blames himself for his death. It was the last thing Tadan ever gave him, after all.

He is now deeply conflicted about carrot cake.

10. "if they wear jewelry, what kind? do they prefer silver or gold? do they have a favorite gem?"

Ethedis wears silver jewellery mostly! More when she's at home in Rivendell, but when she's traveling she usually goes without, besides the little silver leafs in her hair of course (mostly because I don't want to draw any more jewellery lmao)

I never really gave much thought to what her favorite gem would be, hmmm... first thing that came to mind was something pale and green, perhaps beryls? elves are said to be fond of them after all. I guess that makes her basic lmao

12. "how long have they been around? do you know their birthday? is their birthday the day you made them or another day? what do they think of celebrating birthdays?"

Oh gosh, how long has Ethedis been around? I guess I created her when I started playing lotro. according to my account, it was created in...

2016! which was... hey, lotro owes me a gift box! that was 8 years ago but my account only has year 7 gifts >:(

anyway I guess that makes Ethedis roughly 8 years old, but I couldn't tell you exactly when she went from player character to capital C Character™

Tossdir was created when Before the Shadow came out, around November of 2022, but I guess his concept of "weird Ranger who sleeps in bushes named Shrub Man" goes back a little bit further, but not much.

now I did actually work out some of their birthdays in-universe by rolling some dice for funsies. let's see if I can find where I wrote that down... ok so Ethedis - May 19th (she's 350 someodd years old) Tossdir - September 18th, just a few days before Sarn Ford and everything else in Cardolan, that sure is a fun coincidence huh! (he's the Dunedain equivalent of being in his early 20s) Celeair - March 31st (probably late 20s? maybe like 30 by the time he gets to Trum Dreng but that's subject to change) Margim - I thought about rolling dice for her, but no one remembers when she was born in-universe anyway, and she has no idea how old she is.

35. "do they ever return home?"

I like to think they all make it there, in some fashion or another. But for many of them what "home" looks like is different at the end of their stories than it was at the beginning.

For Ethedis it isn't Rivendell anymore, but wherever Corunir and Tossdir are, both in this life and the next.

For Tossdir I don't think it's Tornhad at the end, so much as the North in general might be what he considers home, so long as his friends and family are there with him. I do think he still has a lot of fondness for the Trollshaws though.

For Celeair it's wherever Margim is safe and happy, and for Margim that ends up being Lhan Tarren.

For Elwar the current plan is that she's going to Gondor with Ciriondil, where she'll take some levels in Mariner and her home will be on the ocean, with the family those chose to love her.

(now that I type it out, it almost seems a little sappy that all their ideas of what home is aren't really places so much as wherever the people they love are, but hey I'm allowed to be a little sappy right?)

[the-way-astray]

HEY so I skim read your new Keefe hate post and I have some thoughts I'd like to share (all good ones!!)

As someone who also wrote a very long essay about [a] fictional character(s) while citing the page number and book word by word, you freaking ACED it. I'm always gonna be impressed when people take the time to cite your source and give a in depth explanation about it

You're lowkey not too wrong about Keefe infantilizing Sophie. For something silly and stupid, like "Iggy ate my mallowmelt!! >:( Now im mad!!" yeah I bet Sophie would seem cute lol. But for when she's genuinely angry and pissed?? Maybe lay off a little bit dude 😭 Like cmon she can murder you with her mind- There are moments where he does talk about how powerful she is though, throughout the series, but tbh as much as he does that he probably inhantilize her too *shrug* I need to reread the series, but you are making some sense.

I need Keefe getting mad and someone asking him if he's on his period LMAOOOO

Anyways as someone who loves Keefe you're making valid points. He has his flaws, and sometimes he isn't the best person. In summary

Never post that on pinterest. Those crazy Keefe loving, Fitz hating, Sokeefe shipping 11 year olds will MURDER YOU. I will respect your opinion, but they sure don't.

(your opinion is valid and you have facts *clap and approving nod* you have my respect.)

the post in question

okay, first of all, i need this essay immediately. i literally do not care what it's about but words! lots of words! about kotlc! need.

ooh, thank you so much! i mentioned this in the post itself, but this is a rework. the quotes were originally in one post (copy-pasted from another post) and the explanation was in a reblog, which was hella annoying, so i condensed them. i suppose it does make much more sense now. and my explanation is based in the fact that i don't think people were understanding why this isn't a good thing to be saying, period, when i posted it for the first time. even without context.

yeah, keefe displays a consistent attitude of "sophie is so adorable and small and cute and ditzy and soft". seriously, if you don't believe me, read his perspective in unlocked (or don't, because i'm going to do it for you in my part two keefe rant). it's why i don't buy his accepting sophie as a leader in stellarlune (done in a very, very tell-not-show way, may i add), unless he went through some serious development in unraveled. i may have to dedicate a whole post to that topic . . . anyway, yeah, him calling her powerful and talented feels very, very, very tell-not-show, and when you look at his internal thoughts in unlocked, it portrays her very differently. i'm not a fan of the way he sees her, truly. it feels very dumbed down and uwu-ified. no quotes from unlocked have been put into the post, so i'll have to update it later, but if i included unlocked quotes, this post would be like sixteen times its length. but yeah, you should reread the series before you come to a serious opinion. i'm obviously incredibly biased.

GOODBYE I WAS CITING THAT POST BECAUSE IT GAVE OFF THE EXACT ENERGY I FEEL KEEFE GIVES OFF . . . I DON'T EVEN THINK ELVES HAVE PERIODS (please nobody bring back that cursed discussion again, please, i beg) BUT YOU'RE SO CORRECT. SOMEONE WRITE A HUMAN AU WHERE THIS HAPPENS IMMEDIATELY

yay, a level-headed keefe lover, i love you guys. lol . . . i don't plan to go on pinterest anytime soon, or ever (and i also don't even think pinterest's format even allows for a long post like this . . . ). honestly the thought would have never even crossed my mind, because keepblr is my one true love and i'd never cheat on her. but now that you mention it, it might be funny . . .

[turian]

beloved gamer mutual & comrade @rhubarbspring tagged me to do a video game about me ( tysm for tagging !! truly loved reading all ur game thoughts. <3 ) explanations behind my choices under the cut.

(also, i had to cheat a little bit in the "you love, everyone hates" category, because i don't think people on tumblr hate da2, but one of my best friends despises it because of reused assets and combat designed more for consoles than pcs. and i can't remember any other controversial beloved games right now. the best i can do is games i love that i'm not sure anyone remembers? imagine ubisoft ballet? which, like. do people hate that. i don't think so).

tagging @cowsquirrel @malcriada @sakraya @ansburg @anoramactir + literally anyone i might have missed who wants to do this

favourite game of all time: so, look, i hate her as much as i love her. i always go back to new vegas even though i have a lot of criticisms of it - i had a realization recently after the release of the fallout show that while maybe i was projecting intergenerational trauma onto the game and using it to process some things, there is a lot in the game that is extremely imperialistic, even as it dabbles in anti imperialism. i can't get into all that here - better essays than i'm capable of have already been written on new vegas - but i also have to admit that new vegas taught me to see game writing differently, and helped me a great deal in improving my own writing. it's also just really entertaining playing later games by obsidian and picking out the new vegas elements. i think that new vegas gets praised too readily for being progressive when in reality it's only the most progressive game in the fallout franchise, and i think every time i return to it i'm noticing one more thing that'll kind of be making my eye twitch. but, yeah, i think it would also be dishonest to not include it here, regardless of my mixed feelings, because i keep going back, and because there are so many angles to it, and because i keep catching myself comparing other games to it.

i think a lot about like........... how so many themes i can relate to exist within the narrative of new vegas, but that doesn't feel entirely intentional. like, benny is so real to me because ! he was forced to assimilate into this culture that was not his to survive. and ulysses as well. and like!!!! yeah idk. going insane. i feel very similarly about dragon age elves tbh i'm like okay i feel seen but also this game is racist! kms :') will be projecting hard and taking so much psychic damage

many such cases tho </3 baldur's gate 3 and their treatment of the gur is always going to be a mix of relatable and uncomfortable to me

favourite series: soulsborne! i like how bleak it is, love the theme of death and rebirth, love how thankless the games can be, and i also love how the combat reminds me of muay thai. had a coach explain something to me using dark souls combat as an example once. i didn't really get these games at first, until i saw my best friend playing - she is ridiculously good at them - and then i sort of realized that they're just combat puzzles, and that like... they're kind of about honing patience, i guess? and after that they really became my favourite.

best soundtrack: honorary mentions: mass effect and dark souls both have some individual tracks i revisit on the daily, and skyrim's secunda is beautiful. but hollow knight doesn't miss, and i love how every track matches its environment.

favourite protagonist: i grew up in a really dysfunctional somewhat criminal family so like... lol. i feel seen when i look at arthur morgan <3 him and charles are both close to my heart. john can stay too ig

favourite villain: SO okay, maybe this is cheating a little, but. the reapers from mass effect. went into that game with zero spoilers, and finding out that they were in fact cosmic horror games was so <3

this would probably have gone to new vegas except benny (and also ulysses + i think he's more narrative foil than antagonist, as is benny) literally did nothing wrong in my eyes and after that point it's like... who is the main antagonist? the ncr and legion both? like yeah they're interesting but...

best story: i haven't actually finished pathologic on my own yet. kind of obsessed, though. just feels responsible to put it here. honorary mentions to new vegas, some fromsoft titles, twd, imagine ubisoft ballet........ (i love her and i miss her).

i feel like a lot of story games i've played actually have garbage stories with good characters, which is why they're not here. baldur's gate 3 and ME, for example. or like... ME has a great story at first but they fuck up the ending so badly that a popular theory i've heard passed around essentially boils down to "it was all a dream!"

have not played but want to: i was actually supposed to apply for a job with the team that made these games !! i didn't because it would have required relocation to the US, but. idk i feel like they keep showing up, always highly recommended, and i think i own one? so yeah, i should really get around to that.

you love, everyone hates: again, i cheated on this one. i don't think people on here hate dragon age 2.

you hate, everyone loves: skyrim, detroit: become human, stardew valley (because it's a weird little cottagecore colonialism game but also because i don't really vibe with the art style and i get stressed as fuck in it because nothing is happening... it is simply not for me), and fallout 3 and 4 (because they're masquerading as games with choices but they fully aren't, they suffer from bethesda writing, and they are super unapologetically racist and imperialist). i mean like... not mad at any of my friends who like these games i just cannot play them. i don't really think any of the games on my list are unimpeachable, tbf.

favourite art style: disco elysium !! it's so <3 like, i also love it for other reasons!! but every time i play it i end up wanting to draw.

favourite ending: new vegas has four endings. i feel differently about them all, but the independent ending is very much shaped by the infrastructure the player assembles during a playthrough, and while it is maybe imperfect and very open ended in some ways i like how it doesn't really reassure the player. also, i really like certain elden ring endings and the dark souls 1 ending. and pathologic.

favourite boss fight: hollow knight has a lot i've really enjoyed (particularly hornet's). for elden ring, malenia is the fave, tho <3 when i defeat her i tend to feel really disappointed. like, get up. let's go again. parrying her is extremely satisfying.

childhood game: we like... found out we had some cousins which is wild because this has been a tiny family since Certain Incidents A Long Time Ago and they also had nintendo ds access and they were not into this game. and like... look, i'm not saying it's great, but it had dark souls ish combat? like, you could lock on? you could roll? and i ended up replaying it as an adult and being like. huh. not that bad.

+ imagine ubisoft ballet ily

relaxing games: distance, injustice 2 (i main red hood & black canary but i like playing robin too. it's super imbalanced and they still haven't nerfed starfire !! and it's incredibly funny like good for her), dark souls 1, and elden ring.

stressful games: again stardew valley because i would play with friends and it was like oh god i need to leave. i do not know what to do, i am useless, i am understimulated

+ red dead online is not a good game to play without substantial backup . so glad i had horse insurance because if i hadn't my only friend in that world would be dead. that said, i did like to hunt in that game + play the fps levels with groups

games you always come back to: new vegas but maybe she'll release me someday. idk. also unfortunately i didn't include it earlier but i keep going back to the sims 4 and baldur's gate 3. and fromsoft titles because i sometimes just crave that combat.

guilty pleasure: new vegas again!!! i guess i kind of talked about my extremely complicated feelings when i first spoke about it, but yeah. there's just so much to unpack and i'm never going to forgive it for a lot of things. the horrors and the joys are both numerous but the joys will never not be tainted by the horrors

tons of hours played: elden ring + bg3 + new vegas + mass effect. i don't have the hours of new vegas and mass effect available tho as they are confined to a now dead xbox 360

[beautifulphilosopherbird]

Dungeon Meshi rewatch ep 10 notes

so I always play the intro and outro because I love them so much and another thing caught my eye that might be nothing but is there a reason the women and men are reaching up, with Falin and Laios the ones in the center, and then them grasping hands? it feels meaningful anyway

ah it's the frog costumes ep hahahaha

they've reached the stairs they have to take to reach the 5th basement floor, near the orc's settlement (where the orc leader told them the red dragon was seen, hanging out and causing problems)

but the staircase is filled with tentacles so they can't just stroll down lol

Chilchuck is upset bc the tentacles mess with traps making it even harder to disarm them

KENSUKE SHOOK ALERTING THEM AGAIN but Laios didn't react fast enough and poor Kensuke got SNATCHED by froggy bad froggy let Kensuke go!

LOTS of notes for ep 10 so imma cut it off here

aw bye bye Kensuke (and Marcille's staff is called Ambrosia bye bye Ambrosia)

lol Senshi calling Chilchuck a kid again

he saves the day by using frog skin to wrap his hands so that tentacles don't hurt him smart kid hehe (sorry Chilchuck)

Marcille's weakness as a fashion girlie exposed lol

THEY'VE REACHED THE 5TH FLOOR castle town

lol the frog skin is stuck to them hahaha

(Chilchuck and Senshi's faces tho akjfiashioaghoa they look like Russian dolls help)

Namari gets motion sickness from the return spell portal thingie (bitch, same, that would totally be me, I get motion sickness from walking a little faster lol)

ahhh right right grumpy mcpants works for the "lord of the island" (ig the dungeon is on "his land"?)

hmmmmmmmmmm dwarf mines you say 👀 is that how Senshi got into the dungeon before it officially got discovered?

anyways, he's suggesting to the haughty looking dude to deploy troops in order to take care of the orc "problem"

hm lord haughtypants calls dwarfs "abominable" and says they're like moles

OH LORE ok let's see

so the dwarfs and elves were at war (no reason stated) and

not sure what that means exactly but I'm guessing the elves went to the west and the dwarfs to the east?

the dwarfs hid in the lands (where haughtypants is a lord now ig) and waited for the elves, and even after the war they continued to dig tunnels WHICH ALLEGEDLY SWALLOWED THE GOLDEN CITY AND TURNED IT INTO A DUNGEON wait wasn't that the dark evil crazy magician's work (allegedly)? hmmmmm interesting

he also says that the surviving dwarfs are responsible for the dungeon's continued expansion

grumpy mcpants says (his name is Mr Tansu just in case you think I am using the dumb nickname bc I don't remember) that rumor can't be trusted

ok so he copied a magical circle, I'm guessing before they met Senshi & friends bc afterwards they just bailed right? and it's in elvish, the same individual as before

AHA so his theory is that the crazy evil magician is an elf and these magical circles are his work, interesting (he says the work is beyond the abilities of dwarfs and tall-men)

OH EVEN MORE STUFF wow how did I manage to miss all this I'm such a clown

anyway, the western elves are sending letters now being like "the dungeon is ours we want it back" (well, our "heritage" is what they said, which is interesting bc weren't the king and Delgal tall-men?)

oh EVEN MORE INFO so they won the war with the dwarfs? bc they took the land from them and gave it to humans bc they apparently "didn't know what to do with it" (their king granted it himself even)

this evil magician, if it is an elf the only one I can think of is the crazy eyes elf from the living paintings, so I wonder if it has something to do with him

lordy mcislandpants doesn't want to give them back the island bc he wants the treasure that must still be in the depths of the dungeon lol

MAN we're getting so much lore and theories and everything now, the hamster in my brain is being pushed to his limits

grumpy mcpants says that the elves aren't after the treasure but the immortality spelll that's been cast on the dungeon (that does seem more valuable lol)

he tells mr lord to get his hands on the blueprint of the spell before they do and then he'll finally be treated as an equal, or even their superior

he says the lord of the dungeon possesses it (is that the evil magician or does he mean whoever "beats" the dungeon?), and tells him to keep supporting adventurers and not to cut down prices for hunting monsters etc

oh he'll issue a reward for taking down the orcs (that does not sound good)

ah yeahh I remember, Namari goes to the resurrection office and she asks about Falin (no luck of course)

on the 5th floor, outside the golden castle is the castle town (now abandoned and in ruins)

right, so Laios did mention that the red dragon is supposed to hunt once a month and then sleep until the next hunt but this red dragon has been active nonstop, even going as far as getting the orcs to flee their settlement which Marcille finds odd (but it's also no good for Falin bc she's getting digested faster)

aw cute detail look at Shuro all blushy as he's looking at Falin here hahaha

fun fact: the weak spot of a dragon is the underside of his neck

there she goes again saying her protective magic isn't as powerful as Falin's. She was the best in school, right? It's making it seem like something either happened to her or the school didn't have any good students in it hahaha I mean, I don't really have anyone else to compare her to (besides Falin who is apparently better than her in everything magic related) so I can't tell if it's just normal for her not to be able to do this stuff or what.

ALSO not me just realising Falin is a tall-(wo)man and aren't tall-men supposed to be weaker in magic than elves by default? hm

listening to their plan of trapping the dragon now after I know what happens makes me think that they should have known this wouldn't work out. they're all humanfailures

hmmmm I don't think anyone has mentioned this before but where are dragons normally bc apparently not on the 5th floor lol my guess is lower? hm does that mean something chased it up, like the orcs were chased up by the dragon WAIT IS WHAT SENSHI WAS TALKING ABOUT ACTUALLY HAPPENING????? Did something fuck up the ecosystem? 👀

Senshi guarding his special knife hehehe

and oop the red dragon is here

random screengrabs:

them in Mr Tansu's imagination tho LOL

Idk about you but I ship Senshi x bread 100%

same Chilchuck, same

paused and laughed

his timing is impeccable truly I love him

[batsyforyou]

How Amrod and Amras were as Babies

Pairing: Maedhros x fem reader 

Tags: babies, babysitting, elves 

Author’s Note: I used my own twin baby stories for this one y’all. Full disclosure my Grandma never babysat us again after the playpen thing lmao!  @lamemaster @a-world-of-whimsy-5

There is always one shirtless baby and one pantless baby running around lol 

One with a bucket on their head like a helmet and the other running around with Maedhros’s oversized circlet over em

One time the twins went missing and they found one hiding under Huan’s tail and another stuffing themself into Maedhros boot lol

Their teamwork is immaculate 

Maedrhos had to learn that hiding the cookies in high placing was not a deterrent

As Amrod and Amras pushed a chair over to the counter and Amrod held the chair while Amras climbed up the chair

And together stole the cookies from the jar lmao 

Denied that they stole the cookies even though evidence was all over their cute chubby cheeks.

And all you could do was laugh at Maedhros’s frustrated expression and kiss his cheek

He was especially frustrated because he watched them do it in literal shock for what he was seeing 

At night they cuddle up together and sleep gripping onto each others clothes 

Amras holding his stuffed rabbit and Amrod holding a plush that looks like Huan 

They love to be held and you are constantly trying to hold both of them so they don’t get jealous 

You always say its a workout in itself 

You put them in a playpen once, to do some chores but found that one had escaped and put em back 

Only to turn around and discover that the other had escaped while you were chasing after his brother lmao 

It was a constant cycle of one baby in and another baby out 

You had never been so exhausted watching Maedhros’s baby brothers before 

Maedhros felt guilty about the whole thing and massaged your feet as an apology 

Can almost never tell the two apart and they take full advantage of it 

If you ask them who broke the vase they’d blame it on the other even though they’re the one that did it 

And if you go to find the other brother to make him fess up, he’ll claim he wasn’t said brother and you’d end up confused at who was who 

They are well behaved babies they just like to play lol 

Overall they are 10/10 level cuteness

masterlist

[blackjackkent]

@rhysintherain replied to your post “LOL. As Rakha walks up to the mausoleum entrance,...”:

The saddest and nuttiest thing about Ketheric is... His wife was human. His daughter's half human. He insists "Melodia would understand", he was always going to outlive both of them. Melodia wouldn't understand. By the sound of it, she was a very sensible woman. She probably fully understood that, and fully expected him to live out his life after her without going completely off the rails.

I feel like the tragedy of Melodia Thorm isn't that she died, but that her husband let her whole world fall apart once she wasn't there to hold it together.

The deep nerd in me compels me to point out that Ketheric and Melodia were (at least according to the Forgotten Realms wiki, which I would trust with my firstborn) both half-elves, with Isobel being a half-elf via a quarter-elf from each side. So it is still a tragedy in the sense that they probably could have lived out a normal family life together, more or less, had various Bad Things not occurred.

But this doesn't really change your point, which is that Ketheric handled the death of his family in the absolute most unhinged way possible and that really is the true tragedy of the situation - because you're absolutely right, Melodia's note makes her sound like a woman who saw things very clearly and wanted him to live and be happy after she was gone. And he uh. Well he got the live part, but solidly struck out on the rest of it - to the detriment of thousands of other people as well, including people Melodia almost certainly cared about a great deal.

I do get the impression that he only really started going off the rails when Isobel died, which - fair, losing a child is a pain I can't even fathom. But plenty of people have suffered through it without losing their grip and surrendering themselves to the god of death and building a cult with illithid wetware.

I almost wish there was some way to force Ketheric to Speak With Dead on his wife so she could be like "you did WHAT?"

(On a related note, I was thinking about it earlier and wondering - I really need to dig up the proper timeline and get my head around it, but is it possible that the implication is supposed to be that Ketheric went back to Shar after his wife's death, started oppressing the population of Reithwin, and then Isobel died during the battle when Raphael got summoned to steamroll Ketheric's forces? Because Isobel herself never gives a clear answer on what killed her and that would absolutely add to the tragedy of it all.)

On a lighter note, it says a lot about Rakha that she briefly considers the possibility that Ketheric turned from his god and started bargaining with necromancers to bring his dog back. Further proof that Scratch is a very good boy lol

XD I made myself grin writing that. Scratch is a good boy and Rakha would absolutely consort with necromancers to bring him back. I have a bad feeling about the likely fate of the Rivington kennelmaster. :P